Victor Ashe Gets WikiLeaked

10:31 AM, Dec 7, 2010

Hat tip to Metro Pulse contributor Rikki Hall for this question: "Is anyone down there searching WikiLeaks for stuff written by the former Polish ambassador?" Well, now that you mention it... A visit to the website of the embattled cyber-distribution outfit turns up a handful of diplomatic cables originating from Embassy Warsaw, including one written by former Ambassador (and former Knoxville Mayor) Victor Ashe. Created on May 7, 2009, during Ashe's last six months in Warsaw, and classified as "Confidential," it is an account of meetings held in April of that year between Polish officials and three U.S. senators on matters of military policy. According to Ashe's account, the senators (Carl Levin, D-Mich., Bill Nelson, D-Fla., and Susan Collins, R-Maine, referred to in the cable as a CODEL, or congressional delegation) assured the Poles of the new administration's continuing support for Bush-era plans to place missile defense systems in Poland and the Czech Republic—though they cautioned that if the Czechs pulled out of the plan, things could change. (Later that year, President Obama canceled the missile defense plans, which had angered Russia.) The cable also notes that the Polish officials said that "Poland does not perceive a direct threat from Iran," even though Iran's suspected nuclear program was the ostensible reason for the missile defense program. Nothing very juicy here, it has to be said. But with thousands of cables yet to be released, we'll be keeping an eye out for other appearances by our hometown guy.